


Once in Verona

by Nightalp



Series: fics born to tumblr [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Fencing, M/M, and people underestimating Tony Stark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-19
Updated: 2016-09-19
Packaged: 2018-08-16 02:50:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8083813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nightalp/pseuds/Nightalp
Summary: Steve knew that you can never know everything about your team colleagues. But this time - caught by their Villain-of-the-day behind an ancient drawing - he learns something about Tony he would never have expected.





	

**Author's Note:**

> inspired by [this beautiful art by hello-shellhead on tumblr](http://hello-shellhead.tumblr.com/post/149851846836/so-tony-spent-a-few-years-as-a-child-on-a-private)

"Don’t, Tony. _Stop_!"

Steve stared in horror as his friend and colleague hefted the rapier as if he had any idea what to do with it and faced his opponent.

How could everything turn so bad, so fast? One moment they were in New York, about to put down the newest supervillain before he destroyed the _Morgan Library and Museum_ \- the next, said villain had used some magical trick to imprison them behind a picture of Shakespeare’s Tybalt.

Now Steve knew his art, and he also knew Romeo and Juliet enough to know that Tybalt was a very fine swordsman. It made his nerves fray just more when a pissed-of Loki - who accompanied them as their magical advisor and _really_ didn’t like to fall into another’s trap - had told them that the only way out of this curse was over Tybalt’s dead body and Tony immediately picked up the sword of one already very bloody, very dead Mercutio.

Turning to Loki he grabbed his collar. "You are a damned mage - _do_ something! Tybalt is a master sword fighter. Tony won’t survive this!"

Loki, arrogant as ever, looked entirely unruffled by his manhandling and simply brushed him off. "How little faith you have in your companion. Alas, as you might already have noticed, this world follows different rules, and I can not simply wave my hands to get us out of here."

Steve hadn’t noticed, though now that Loki mentioned it he felt his breath rattling in his chest, and the heaviness of his shield that he had never felt before - prove that, somehow, the serum had stopped working. Fear creeped up on him, but he pushed it aside, too scared for his friend. "Well, as far as I know you are trained in using swords."

Unbelievable, but Loki still didn’t show any emotion. For a man who professed to love Tony, and had been dating him more more than a year now, this was just unbelievable. "There are many differences between a broadsword and a sabre, not to mention that I don’t even know the rules of this … duel. Not that I would expect _you_ to know anything about it."

Before Steve could come up with a fitzing reply a warm hand rested on his shoulder.

Natasha. "It will be alright, Steve."

How could she be so calm? Tony was about to be maimed, or killed! Determined he took a step forward, intent on taking the sabre himself, but again he was held back, this time by Clint.

"You know I don’t trust the fucker any more than you do, but Tony’s got this, Cap. Just let him do this."

"You cannot offer to throw your life away anyway", Loki threw in, clearly bored. "Once taken, the sabre can only be released upon death or victory. And cheating would just damn us to stay in this dimension forever."

And how the fuck did the asshole know so much about this world and its rules if he didn’t have access to his magic?

But Steve couldn’t ask for in this very moment Tybalt lunged for Tony.

Grasping Natasha’s hand he prayed that he wouldn’t have to watch his friend being killed.

Tony ducked out of reach easily enough, then contered with a trust of his own. Tybalt had to take a step back to escape, yet he had clearly not foreseen Tony’s move so Tony’s sabre cut a red line over his cheek.

Grinning Tybalt took another step back and saluted with the rapier. "A fellow gentleman fighter, I see. Now then, let us measure each other in a dance of steal and death!" And he trust forward again, intend on spearing Tony’s chest.

Tony, meanwhile, had taken on a face of pure concentration, though it cracked a bit when he parried his opponent’s sabre with a quick circle of his rapier and his words with an anguished: "Shakespeare in the park. _Again_."

"Well, his prose is almost as bad as Thor's", commented Loki, causing an indignant " _Loki_!" from Thor.

Steve however couldn’t take his eyes from the fight, even though after another bout it became more than obvious that Tony had some kind of training with the sabre. But where …?

"You didn’t know."

Frowning he turned to Natasha. "Didn’t know what?"

"Tony has taken fencing classes since High School. I think if not for the heaviness of the sabre he would have already taken Tybalt down." A frown, and she cocked her head to the side. "You don’t think that Loki would stand there this easily and bicker with Thor if he didn’t believe in Tony’s victory?"

Actually … Steve had never quite gotten these two, so no, he didn’t know this. Yet it would seem rather more cruel than he thought even Loki to be to not watch his lover’s fight if he wasn’t full heartedly believing in his victory.

It was still hard to look back at the fight. Tybalt had lost his grin and was now sweating profoundly, the sweat mixing with various trickles of blood. His breath came in hard blows that shook his entire frame, and he only barely managed to parry Tony’s attacks anymore. Yet Tony had also taken damage. There were some gashes in his undersuit, and the one on his shoulder trailed blood. He, too, was breathing heavily, and while he was still attacking Steve could see the trembling in his arms.

Natasha was right; the sabre was quite obviously heavier than whatever Tony was used to. And yet he still had to stay here and do nothing while Tony gave his all to get them out of here.

"If you fail to win us free, you miserable excuse for a sword fighter, I will personally come to Hel and kill you again." Loki sounded death serious about it, yet Tony only grinned.

"And what do I get if I win?" The thought that he might actually die didn’t seem to faze him.

"If you win I will suck you off as often as you want this night, then refresh your strength via magic so I may do it again."

That seemed to freeze Tony for a moment and Steve felt ice pierce his heart as he saw Tybalt’s sabre slide in under Tony’s, pushing it aside and making for Tony’s heart. A scream tore from his throat and he couldn’t help the image of his friend, stumbling back with blood blossoming from his chest. Dying.

Yet Tony seemed to have awaited this attack, smoothly pulling out of the way and then thrusting his own sabre forward, the tip spearing right through Tybalt’s heart.

For a moment they all stood still, the only sound that of Tony’s heavy breathing and a dying Tybalt. Then, paint poured out of the wound in a wave, sweeping them all away in a dazzling rush.

The next thing Steve knew, he was again in New York, the summer sun burning down on the streets, and a very astonished supervillain standing in front of them, his magical staff hanging loosely in his fist.

"I … errh … don’t assume we can call this a misunderstanding?" He tried to go for a smile, but it looked even worse than Loki coming out of his own, Hulk-made crater.

Rounding up a villain had never felt as good before.

Later, when they stood by while SHIELD agents put the villain into a car so he could be disappeared somewhere he could never cause trouble again he watched as Loki stood next to a rather exhausted Tony, his arm around his waist supporting him. His second hand was lying around his neck, yet the way his body curled around Tony’s spoke more of concern than possessiveness.

When Tony noticed Steve watching them he grinned and waved. "Sorry guys, but if we are finished here I have somewhere else to be. Having a god kneel for me and blow me into the next dimension, you know how it is." Grinning even broader he looked up at Loki whose dark look relaxed into an exasperated grimace, yet his eyes shone gently as he pulled Tony even closer, his arms not-quite reaching around the Iron Man suit.

With a last wink they both disappeared in a cloud of green smoke, and personally Steve hoped he wouldn’t hear too much about this night.

(He wasn’t so lucky. When he made for the kitchen to have lunch the next day he heard Tony say, loud enough to carry out into the hallway: "Well, and the fifth time Loki-" and decided then and there that he would eat out today.)

  


**Author's Note:**

> find me on [tumblr](http://nightalp.tumblr.com/) for more of my stuff


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